A bucket full of crabs which were dumped in a suburban street miles from their natural habitat have been saved.

Twenty-six shore crabs were left with household rubbish at the end of a driveway in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Jane Waine, of Tasley, who discovered the bucket, said: “I was putting the bins out when I saw a flash of yellow, which turned out to be a kiddie’s bucket full of crabs, all climbing on top of each other. It was just dumped alongside several bin bags.”

RSPCA officer Elaine Williams, said: “We rescue thousands of animals every year, but you don’t expect to be rescuing crabs in the Midlands, about as far from the coast as it’s possible to get.”

All but one of the crabs survived and are now in a quarantine unit at the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham.